More floating marshmallows in the fog

On July 8, 2026August 7, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

It was another foggy morning at the end of February when I stopped at Crescent Lake Park in downtown St. Pete to see if the white pelicans were still hanging around. There wasn’t quite as many as my trip a few weeks before but there were still a lot of them floating around the lake.

In one corner of the lake they were taking baths. It was fun to watch them splashing around and preening. It’s weird that a bird that lives in water still has to take a bath.

I noticed small groups dotted around the lake that were diving for food. White pelicans are surface feeders and herd the fish in together while dunking under to grab them. It’s almost like a ballet when they duck down together with their butts bobbing. Brown pelicans fly up and then dive down alone to catch their fish so it’s very different to watch them.

The groups were all doing different things. From bathing to feeding to napping.

Here they come! Right in front of me.

It was still foggy when I left an hour later but I could see that bright blue water tower across the lake.

Big floating marshmallows in the lake

On June 6, 2026July 6, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

When I got to Crescent Lake Park in mid-February it looked like giant marshmallows floating around. I had been here several times this winter but only a few were there. White pelicans are one of the original snow birds. They spend a few months in central Florida before heading back to spend the summer in Canada. If they aren’t here floating in this lake near downtown St. Pete, then they are somewhere on the bay (somewhere in the neighborhood channels north of the St. Pete pier).

There was a small fleet of them floating in front of me as I sat down on a bench.

As they dispersed I started looking around the lake and realized there were hundreds of them all around the lake. Most of them were in small pods in all of the corners of the lake.

These were resting and preening on a spit of grass.

These guys were feeding in the shade along a bumper (keeps the garbage out of the pipes)

This guy had caught a big fish in his pouch and his friends started ganging up on him to steal the fish. He eventually swallowed it.

This fleet was having a squabble over something before going back to feeding.

Occasionally some would take flight. Some would fly to the other side of the lake and some went up high and headed toward the bay.

These floating marshmallows are special to this lake. They spend a short time going back and forth between the bay and here. It’s a treat to catch a lot of them on the lake and watch them feeding and going about their day. People walking their dogs or jogging stop to watch them. There were several other photographers nearby watching them as well and we all chatted about how cool they were and what they were doing. I went back the next week so more on these guys later.

A cold afternoon with some birds on the beach

On May 20, 2026June 8, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography6 Comments

While my sister was visiting in February we stopped by the Seaside Seabird Sanctuary. The sanctuary is a hospital, rescue, rehab and release facility that admits around 3500+ injured birds a year. About 46% are successfully rehabilitated. You can always see a lot of wild birds hanging around the sanctuary, hoping for a free snack.

Checking out the resident pelicans. The residents all have permanent injuries and have a home here.

Wild great egrets nest in the tall trees over the sanctuary. I could hear some babies clacking high up in the tree that I couldn’t see and some adults were still building nests.

Great blue herons also nest here and this nest had a baby (follow the yellow arrow). He was still pretty small and I could just barely make out the fuzz on his head.

This couple was still flirting.

Wild pelicans also nest high up in the trees. They might be former rehabilitated patients or babies that were born here and released.

The wild pelicans are pretty docile and will walk right up to you (hoping for a handout). I took the above with my phone.

The sanctuary is right on the beach and they have a 2 story deck with a great view. The only reason this beach was not busy was because it was cold the afternoon we were there (high of 45 degrees).

A wild black vulture was trying to hide from me on the top deck.

The sanctuary had massive damage from the hurricanes in late 2024. They are still rebuilding enclosures and trying to catch up. You can read about the damage and see pictures here.

A baby and some bathing.

On May 2, 2026June 8, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

In early January I made my usual winter trip up to Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park for a long walk. The pelicans here are all permanently injured birds that live here. They have a safe home and get fed and are not caged in. Many of them were already pairing up for nesting season.

Surprise! There was already a winter baby. The babies born here grow up with Mom and then can fly away free when they are old enough.

When this one was flapping you could see he was missing a wing.

Several of the white pelicans had permanently injured wings.

Splashing around in the small pond.

The pelicans looked like they were having fun bathing.

I saw many other birds and lots of manatees so more to come on this trip.

Looking for some anis.

On April 25, 2026May 7, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography7 Comments

I was watching the pelicans diving for fish in late December. I got to Fort Desoto Park right at sunrise and stopped at the beach before heading to the woods to look for some birds.

Two rare birds had been hanging out here for several weeks. The above is not one of them. Starlings are common here but he looked pretty shining in the sun.

A grooved-billed ani and a smooth-billed ani were hanging out together near the bay pier wooded area. I saw them both briefly but was only able to get shots of the smooth-billed one before they both took off over the trees. They aren’t very attractive but they are cool birds anyway. Both were not new birds. The only time I saw a grooved-bill was in 2011 and there was a smooth-billed one here back in 2017.

After seeing the anis I went for a walk on the beach to look for shorebirds.

Plovers were plentiful including the black bellied plover and piping plover above. The piping plover was missing his feet and I’ve seen him several times at the park so he must be doing okay.

Looking across the lagoon, reddish egrets were feeding when a fish jumped out and made a big splash. They were both like “Where did it go?”.

As I was leaving the park I saw something black flying across the road so I pulled over and realized it was the anis in the berry bushes. The smooth-billed one was out in the open and I though he was going to eat the berries but he was just fanning himself.

This was the only shot I got of them both (one in the top left and one in the far right bottom). The grooved-billed ani seemed really shy compared to the other one. They are still at the park, several months later.

I made a quick stop at Crescent Lake Park on the way home to see if the white pelicans were there. Only a handful were hiding in the shade under the big banyan tree.

The only winter ducks that had showed up so far were a few lesser scaup. I checked back here weeks later and there were tons of white pelicans so more on those later.

Watching the birds catch bait fish

On April 11, 2026May 7, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography4 Comments

On Christmas eve I made my usual trip down to south St. Pete to the Bay Pines National Cemetery to visit my parents. I didn’t stay long and it was such a beautiful day that I decided to swing by the beach on the way home to stop at one of my Dad’s favorite places, the Seaside Seabird Sanctuary.

This rescue, rehabilitate and release sanctuary sits right on Indian Shores Beach. They also house many permanently injured birds. It looks like it was feeding time.

A couple of quick videos of them feeding. It was funny to watch the white pelican stick his whole head in to get the fish. Then the snowy egrets said “Hey, I can do that too!”.

They were catching live bait fish in the tubs.

Pretty faces. Most of the pelicans are missing a wing or eye.

A wild night heron hangs out hoping for a free snack.

A shot of the view from the deck on the way to the beach.

Diving for breakfast

On January 26, 2026February 5, 2026 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography2 Comments

More sunrise shots from my visit to Fort Desoto Park in October.

Zooming in with my camera I could see some barges out in front of the bridge.

When I first got to the north beach I saw 2 white pelicans floating in the lagoon. There had been hundreds here a few days before but this was all I saw on this morning. Two more flew by right before the sun was up over the trees.

Shorebirds in the sunrise.

Brown pelicans were diving for bait fish far off the beach. It was funny to watch the laughing gulls trying to steal the fish from the pelican’s beak.

A Cooper’s hawk flies overhead, scaring and flushing the shorebirds.

After leaving the beach I stopped by the Arrowhead trail to peek out across the water and I could see the tons of white pelicans far off a spoil island. They were hiding there this morning instead of feeding in the lagoon off the beach.

Boat traffic along the water.

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) at Image-In-Ing.

Looking for shells

On May 26, 2025June 6, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography5 Comments

Above is the proper technique for shell hunting. While my sister and her husband were in town we headed out early for a walk at Honeymoon Island to look for shells.

I had not been out on this beach since last summer and it was a beautiful cool morning. The north beach area had just opened back up the week before after being closed for 5 months due to the hurricanes from last fall.

The mangrove bushes on the beach had been stripped and there was a lot of big dead wood pieces.

Someone had started a shell tree.

A big jellyfish in the shallow part.

We made it almost to the north end before heading back. It was quiet this weekday morning and little chilly so there wasn’t a lot of people out. I’m sure the beach looks much different today. Since it’s Memorial Day there’s a packed crowd and we usually stay away from the beaches on summer holidays.

Royal terns and laughing gulls were trying to stay out of the wind.

White pelicans flying over.

A quick video of the white pelicans cruising high over our heads.

We worked up an appetite and had lunch at a nearby local seafood place before heading home to rest up for our big afternoon on the ferry (more to come). My sister got a big bag of shells and managed to fit it into her carry-on bag to take home.

Linking to A Stroll Thru Life.

White pelican close ups

On April 19, 2025May 11, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography3 Comments

I made it back to Crescent Lake Park near downtown St. Pete in mid-January. I remembered to bring my camera with me this time because I was pretty sure the white pelicans were still there. They wouldn’t stay much longer if the weather warmed up.

A handful were swimming around in the middle of the lake.

A lot of them were still hanging out under the big banyan tree at one corner of the lake where the pipes come out. I’m assuming because of the shade from the tree (although it was cloudy the morning I was there) and the fact that the tree area is fenced off to keep people off the damaged old historic tree so there wouldn’t be any people letting their dogs get close to the bank.

A cormorant flies by.

Eventually most of the pelicans made their way out to the middle of the lake.

A ring-neck duck came close to the edge.

A ring billed gull was also close.

Two male grackles were having a conversation on the ball field sign. They might have been fighting over a lady or both showing off for one.

Pelican Island and an alien baby

On March 29, 2025April 10, 2025 By dinajohnstonIn bird photography1 Comment

I made a trip up to Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park (an hour north of Tampa) in mid-January. It’s a fun place to walk around and see wild manatees and lots of different Florida wildlife. It’s more of a refuge or home for permanently injured wildlife. A lot of injured pelicans call it home and live on a small island along the river that runs through the park. I was walking on the boardwalk and was surprised to see a baby pelican this early in the season. This pelican couple built a nest right up against the boardwalk so I was trying to get shots of the baby eating in between the slats. Mom had just coughed up a partial eaten fish for the baby and the baby was having a tough time getting it down. The baby couldn’t be more than a day or two old. It was still blue and purple and partially hidden under Mom.

Nearby, other pelicans were mating or sitting on nests.

One last look at the alien looking baby as he was trying to figure out how to gulp that piece of fish down. The area is not enclosed so when the babies here grow up they can freely leave.

White pelicans were also flirting and working on nests.

They are cool looking birds with those blue eyes surrounded by yellow and an orange beak. That horn near the end of the beak is like a fingernail and only grows during breeding season and then falls off.

This pelican had a droopy wing. Many are missing a wing or an eye.

Wild black vultures hang out in the trees above the boardwalk. They come down to steal snacks (bait fish) when the pelicans are being feed. There was a dead vulture on the ground and a pelican was guarding it from the other vultures. He was standing over it and wouldn’t let the vultures get near it. A ranger came and got the dead vulture. It could have been sick (hopefully not bird flu) or died of old age.

I spent the morning at the park and took a lot of pictures so more to come on this trip.